February was very busy

It's hard to believe that March is here, what happened to February? I have been working full time and that has dominated my week days. Because I have a hard time finding the time to do anything during the week my weekends are very busy. And if I don't have personal things to take care of then other things require my time. Now I'm not complaining, but I guess I am making excuses for not writing on my blog last month.

One weekend my cousin got to stay with me. We had a great time shopping, reading, talking and playing.

Decorating Cookies

Work of art

I would like to give a shout out to my cousin Stefan ...

Happy Graduate

The weekend that Maya stayed with me happened to be the same weekend of Stefan's graduation from culinary school.

After the ceremony the adults had a good time visiting with each other while the kids played.

Ok, hold still for just one picture please :)

My mom and I took turns getting snuggle time in with the newest member of our family.

Sweet Maggie

I would like to be able to say that I'll do better in March but I don't want to make promises I might not keep :) So without making any promises I will try to be more vigilant in my writing .. Maybe I need my mom to give me her sweet reminders. Mom? Will you help me?

Snow, snow and more snow

Living in the South we rarely get snow and when we usually do it is very little. This year has not been the norm. This past week the snow fall has made national news.

Almost 8 inches!!

The downside to so much snow is that things basically shut down. The roads are different from the North and having the mountains makes driving on slick roads very dangerous. But I think the blanket of white is beautiful.

Last night the snow made everything bright and it never actually got dark. It was almost magical and I kept looking out the window and marveling at it.

My night pictures turned out really good.

The main roads were pretty clear today but the secondary roads were still impassable so our patients all cancelled their surgery. Since I didn't have to work I took my dog to my parents house.

My mom playing with Buster

My dog was happy to get out of the house.

Buster is actually grinning :)

I love having the snow but I'm ready for life to get started back again.

Getting to Work (literally)

Where does the time go? I can't believe it's already the 9th. This past week I have been busy working at a local surgery center. I normally work there PRN (as needed) so sometimes I work only a couple of days a month or I cover when someone needs vacation time. One of the girls that works there fell during our last snow and blew her knee out.

Unfortunately for her she'll be out of work for at least 2 1/2 months so I'm working in her place.
I quit my full time job at a local hospital almost two years ago so I could work on the mission field full time. The ministry that I was going to work with pulled out of Haiti almost a year after I started working with them.

Since then I have been looking for a ministry to plug into. I enjoy the freedom to go on mission trips whenever the opportunity presents itself so I have hesitated to get another full time job.
With not having a steady income for almost two years my savings has been spent so I am excited about this time to earn a regular paycheck for the next couple of months.

I am in the process of planning another trip to Haiti where I'll be meeting with a couple of different ministries to see if I might be able to work with them on a regular basis. This time of getting to work will help finance my trip. I feel bad for the lady that hurt her knee but I'm thankful for the work.

Snow in the South

My last post I wrote about how cold it has been and that I would like some snow to go with the temps. Well be careful what you wish for :)

When it first started I didn't think it would last

This past week the South was blanketed in snow and it caused some major problems. There were people that were stuck in traffic for hours and many couldn't make it home. Children were stuck at school and had to spend the night there.

But the snow kept coming, and staying

Normally the snow would melt before it hits the ground but because we have had temperatures below freezing for so long it landed and stuck.

Snow landing on the Magnolia tree

I felt bad for everybody that was stuck out in the mess but I couldn't help but smile every time I looked outside. I just enjoyed the beauty of it.
I did get a little bored because I couldn't get out, all secondary roads were closed in my area, so I did some organizing and played with settings on my camera.

Playing with settings on my camera

I know several people that did not enjoy the snow and have stated that they hope this is the last snow of the year. I have to say, I hope we have more :).

Cold Weather

Baby it's cold outside!! For the past few years we have had relatively mild winters with very few days that had temps below freezing. Now we are having several days in a row that won't get above freezing and even start out in single digits. The only thing we need is snow! I believe that if it's going to be this cold we should have snow too. Thinking about the weather made me look through some of my old pictures and I want to share them with you.

My mom in the snow with Buster

Mom and Dad's driveway, I think this is 2012

Snow patches in the Smokey Mountains

Buster snuggled up to get warm

Snuggle up because it's cold outside :)

Enough snow to build a snowman!!

Wants to have a snowball fight

The kids loved it, I think this is 2010

I hope you enjoy seeing some of my family pictures of fun in the snow.

Team Time

Many of the trips I've taken in Haiti take me to very remote areas.

Everyday conveniences that we take for granted they don't have access to, like running water or electricity.

During the day when the sun is up sometimes hundreds of people will walk to the medical clinics, but as soon as the sun starts going down it's almost like the people disappear.

So when the crowds disperse we clean up and prepare for the next day.

One of my favorite things is when everything is quiet and we either talk about our day or share stories of our lives.

Preserving Memories

Whenever I'm on a mission trip I want to make sure I appreciate the moment and don't take it for granted. I've always been an early riser and I'm usually the first one up in the morning. I enjoy the quiet time while I get ready for the day and always try to enjoy the sunrise. This starts my day off on a good foot and prepares me for the busy day ahead.

I take as many pictures as I can throughout the day to help me remember as much as I can. I don't take pictures of just the heartbreaking things but I also want to remember the good thing.

A beautiful smile

At the end of each day I also write in my journal. I try to make sure I don't skip days because facts can get mixed up. There are so many things that happen and I want to preserve as many of the memories as I can. Also it helps me to remember people and events, especially if we go to more than one village in a trip.

Doing these things insure that I slow down enough to appreciate each day. There are some days we can see over 500 people and I don't want everything to become one big blur. I love the passion that God has placed in my heart for the people and I appreciate the people that help make the trips possible and I don't want to take ANY of it for granted ... ever. :)

People lining up for medical care